Kane County

Lombard Veterinary Hospital to hold pet blessing

Published: Monday, Sept. 16, 2013 11:28 a.m. CST

Caption

(Photo provided)

Community members gather with their pets in the grassy field behind the Lombard Veterinary Hospital, 244 E. St. Charles Road, during last year's pet blessing. This year's blessing will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at the animal hospital.

By SUBURBAN LIFE MEDIA

LOMBARD – A special pet blessing ceremony will be held Saturday by the Lombard Veterinary Hospital to celebrate local pets in the community and to remember any pets who have died. The ceremony is at 3 p.m. at the Lombard Veterinary Hospital, 244 E. St. Charles Road.

This annual event was started after Pastor Emily Mellott of Calvary Episcopal Church in Lombard lost her 14-year-old cat. When she received a sympathy card from the Lombard Veterinary Hospital, she began working with the organization to provide a service for people to celebrate the lives of their pets or mourn their passings.

"We decided to offer a memorial service and a blessing," Mellott said. "Losing a pet can be a very painful experience, and there are not a lot of ways to acknowledge that hurt in a community. And many people do their grieving while caring for other pets, or welcome new pets into their homes, so it was important to us to offer blessings for all pets at the same time."

The service is non-denominational and welcome to people of any faith or without religious affiliation. This year's pet blessing is sponsored by the First Church of Lombard United Church of Christ, First Methodist Church of Lombard, Calvary Episcopal Church and the Lombard Veterinary Hospital.

Following the ceremony, which will include prayers for all pets, pastors will hold individual blessings to pets and their owners, prayers for sick pets and prayers for people grieving a pet.

This service is open to all people and all pets in carriers or on leashes.

For more information, contact Lombard Veterinary Hospital at 630-627-7090 or Calvary Episcopal Church at 630-620-8899.